Pokémon Go players who can’t make it to Chicago, Copenhagen, or Tokyo for this year’s in-person Pokémon Go Fest events have some very good news: Pokémon Go Fest: Global will be free for all players during the weekend of July 11-12, developer Niantic announced Tuesday.
That includes access to Pokémon Go Fest: Global’s Special Research, boosted Shiny Pokémon encounter rates, and event-specific bonuses — no need for a paid ticket. The free event will be part of this year’s 10th anniversary celebrations for Pokémon Go.
Pokémon Go players who attend in-person Go Fest events in Chicago, Copenhagen, or Tokyo will have early access to either Mewtwo with Level 1 unlocked for Mega Mewtwo X or Mewtwo with Level 1 unlocked for Mega Mewtwo Y via branching Timed Research. Mewtwo caught during in-person Go Fest events will know the moves Fast Attack Counter and the Charged Attack Psystrike. Attendees will also get access to a massive 1,000-player Raid Battle toward the end of the in-person experience.
During Pokémon Go Fest 2026: Global, players will be able to earn Mega Energy X or Mega Energy Y by defeating Mega Mewtwo X or Mega Mewtwo Y in Super Mega Raid Battles or by completing timed research. All Mewtwo caught from these Super Mega Raids will have at least one Mega Level already unlocked, and they can Mega Evolve without using energy, Niantic says. Some lucky players might catch Mewtwo at Mega Level 2 or 3.
As part of the global event, Mewtwo caught from Mega Mewtwo X Super Mega raids will know the Fast Attack Counter, while Mewtwo caught from Mega Mewtwo Y Super Mega raids will know the Charged Attack Psystrike.
On the official Pokémon Go blog, Niantic also outlined upcoming Mega system updates, which include:
Faster Mega Level Progression
In an upcoming update, Trainers will have the option to use their extra Mega Energy to quickly level up their Pokémon’s Mega Levels without needing to wait for the daily progression cooldown.
Split Mega Level Progression
For Pokémon with multiple Mega Evolutions, such as Mewtwo, progression will now be tracked individually for each Mega Evolution. For example, the Mega Level for Mega Mewtwo X will increase independently from the Mega Level for Mega Mewtwo Y.
For Mega Charizard X and Mega Charizard Y, any Charizard that you have Mega Evolved will carry over its Mega Level to both Mega Evolutions after this split. Charizard’s Mega Evolutions will also require separate Mega Energy going forward, which you can get from taking on either Mega Charizard X or Mega Charizard Y in Mega Raids. If you already have Charizard Mega Energy, you will be awarded that amount of both Mega Charizard X Energy and Mega Charizard Y Energy after this split.
Here are the dates for this year’s Pokémon Go Fest events:
- Pokémon Go Fest 2026: Tokyo – May 29-June 1
- Pokémon Go Fest 2026: Chicago – June 5-7
- Pokémon Go Fest 2026: Copenhagen – June 12-14
- Pokémon Go Fest 2026: Global – July 11-12
Tickets for the Chicago and Copenhagen in-person events are still available.
